Malta registered highest energy demand increase in EU

Malta’s demand for energy experienced the highest increase in the EU in 2017, possibly a reflection of rapid economic expansion.

Eurostat figures out today show that Malta’s primary energy consumption rose by 12.9% in 2017 when compared to the previous year.

The next highest increase was registered in Romania at 5.8%.

Primary energy consumption is the total energy demand of a country and the EU as a whole is committed to reduce this by 20% by the end of 2020. In 2017, the EU was more than 5% above this target.

Malta’s contribution to the EU’s energy demand increased by a mere 0.8 million tonnes of oil equivalent. In contrast, a country like France increased its contribution by 239.5 million tonnes of oil equivalent.

The statistics also show that the total energy consumed by end users in Malta also increased in 2017 by 6.7%.